


Confused (Kenny x Butters)

by glowworm888



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Sexuality Crisis, conversion camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 20:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19342009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowworm888/pseuds/glowworm888
Summary: Butters Stotch is sent to Camp New Grace to make up for his sins concerning his sexuality.  At camp, he meets other teens who are in similar situations, and tries to make light of the terrifying darkness of conversion camp. Along with new friends, Butters meets the wild and reckless Kenny McCormick, who inspires him to stray from the path of "perfect Catholic boy" he had always lived by.





	1. Chapter 1: Sent Away

"Do not fear; I will help you" - Isaiah 41:13 

Linda Stotch had embroidered this on a pillow during her pregnancy of her first and only child. This pillow had rested in the corner of the baby's crib after he was born, and for years afterward, he kept it on the foot of his bed. It was, at his worst times, a reminder that there was no situation God couldn't save him from. On a more earthly level, there was no situation his mother wouldn't at least try and save him from. Linda Stotch loved her son. His pale eyes gazing curiously up at her, the way his little fist would grab hold of her finger, his soft, blond hair that could never be managed. Leopold Stotch was the picture of innocence. From his careful toddle to pitiful cries that would wake up his parents during the night. He was the most beautiful and innocent baby a mother could dream of having. 

Sixteen years later, Leopold Stotch would be staring at that pillow, which had turned from a gentle cream color to a grey over the years, and he'd wonder if that verse rang true. Certainly if his mother wanted to help him, she would've by now. She would've pulled her husband to the side and stopped him from driving their son across the state over nothing more than an accusation. And even then, if his mother couldn't help him, God would. God wouldn't let something like this happen to him. 

Despite no attempt being made by Linda to stop her husband from taking Leopold away, she looked absolutely blank. So distant from emotion that she hadn't even responded when her son told her he loves her before the car rolled down the street. Leopold wasn't stupid. He knew what was happening to him. But he certainly didn't understand why: Why God would allow this to happen. 

"Dad, please. This isn't necessary" he said thickly, trying not to let emotion overturn him. His father, Steven Stotch, had always been beyond careful with the way his son was raised. Everything about the household was met to the standards of God. Despite his best attempts to raise Leopold to be nothing short of angelic, the damage had already been done. Seventeen and a half years of living in small town Colorado had spoiled his little boy. And while maybe Leopold wasn't so little anymore, he still lived under the rules of the house and of God. The simple fact was that the boy's signs of homosexuality meant he had strayed a little too far from God. As his father, Steven vowed to being his boy back on the right path, even if it meant sending him away for a while. He was beyond sure that Camp New Grace would bring back the picture perfect Catholic son he had raised. 

One explanation that this was for Leopold's own good and a firm goodbye later, the boy was left at the camp while his father drove back home. It couldn't be too bad, right? Camp is fun. It would be a good opportunity to make new friends for sure. Back in Steamboat Springs, Leopold was often the subject of bullying, and very rarely found someone who considered him a friend. Maybe the circumstances weren't ideal, but it was an opportunity. 

However, the first person that Leopold talked to didn't seem too interested in becoming friends. In fact, the boy was sitting outside the entrance of the building sobbing into his hands. Butters asked if he was okay, but received no answer. So he flashed a sympathetic look to the boy and continued inside. 

He was already registered. He was given a key to a room and a calendar itinerary by the old, grey woman at the front. 

Leopold opened the door to his room. It was possibly the most dreary thing he had seen in his life. In fact, even the kid sitting on the bottom bunk bed looked quite grey, despite his fiery red hair. 

"Hey" Leopold introduced quietly, trying not to startle the boy. He set his duffle bag to the side and approached his roommate. His wild, curly locks crowned his head modestly, and everything about his face was perfect. Leopold had been trained not to focus on vanity, but he couldn't help feeling jealous of the boy in front of him. 

"Oh, hey" the redhead replied, giving a empty wave in Leopold's direction. He didn't look sad, at least not like the boy from the front did anyway, but he certainly looked disheartened. 

"You wanna know a secret?" The boy asked, though Leopold had a feeling the question was quite rhetorical. His father loved to throw rhetorical questions at him, especially when he got in trouble. 

"Okay" 

The red head smirked. Had it been a movie, there definitely would be sinister music playing. 

"I'm not even Catholic. My family is Jewish. Yet they're so afraid of me being gay that they went against their entire beliefs to send me here. Imagine that" 

Leopold didn't know how to respond. He hadn't even learned the guy's name yet. 

"Oh, uhm, geez. I'm sorry to hear that" he replied softly, taking a step away from the bed. The boy had noticed the fear seeping through Leopold's pores, and decompressed himself. 

"I'm sorry, we're in a pretty shitty situation huh?"

Leopold nodded quietly, almost afraid to reply. He agreed, of course. He wished to be at home sitting with his mother on the couch, watching reruns of Full House and watching her embroider pillows as gifts. Upon this thought, Leopold remembered something he had stuffed in his duffle bag on his way out the door. But then he remembered his mother letting his dad send him away like this without a word, and wish he hadn't tucked the pillow in his bag last minute. It just wasn't true. 

"Do not fear; I will help you" - Isaiah 41:13 

No, his mother didn't help him. 

"Hey man, are you okay?" 

The red-headed boy gave a snap in Leopold's face and woke him from his frustration and confusion. 

"Yeah, yeah" he muttered, shoving his twiddling fingers into his jeans. 

"Well okay. Anyway, I forgot to tell you, but my name's Kyle" 

Kyle. Short, sweet, and unpretentious. Leopold hated his name. It didn't suit him, and it reminded him of his father's strict tone. But there was no alternative. He didn't like it when people referred to him as "Leo". The only other name he'd ever been called was "Butters", which his favourite uncle had called him before his mom had asked him to stop calling her son that. The name never truly caught on, but it angered his parents enough that he relished it. 

"Butters" he replied quietly, imagining the disapproving look his parents would give him had they been there. He loved it; he felt in control. 

Kyle gave a curt nod and stretched out across the poorly constructed bunk bed. Because the bottom bunk had already been claimed, Butters was stuck on top. He sighed and hoisted himself up the ladder. Heights had never really been a problem for the boy, but the rickety loft bed was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. It was something he could tolerate though. Butters was beyond sure he'd be forced to tolerate much worse at Camp New Grace. 

\-----

Each new day was greeted with a lengthy sermon, given by a stocky, balding man that appeared to be about as thrilled to be there as everyone else. Verses upon verses were driven into Butters' head for three days straight. This is what the camp was calling "orientation". It was the camper's duty to know every verse by heart, and to follow them on his every action. It was the third and last day of orientation that the pastor read "Do not fear; I will help you. - Isaiah 41:13". It was then that Butters lost himself. Improvement was no longer on his mind. He did not want to be saved in the eyes of the Lord nor the eyes of his parents. He was locked in a state of barely existing, yet discovering himself at the same him. The moment the sermon was over, Butters stormed to his room and grabbed the little pillow from his still unpacked duffle bag and squeezed it. 

"You're a liar, mom" He choked, every word burning on his tounge. 

"You're a liar, and lying is a goddamn sin" he seethed, launching the pillow to the ground. He gave it a firm kick against the wall and then took a position of defeat on the floor. Boiling tears fell across his cheeks and dripped down, only to be absorbed by the dusty carpet. That was how Kyle found him when he entered the room. 

"Butters?" 

The redhead crouched down beside the other boy and placed an awkward hand on his trembling body. 

"Hey dude, you're alright" Kyle said unhelpfully, not sure of how to handle a near stranger in such a situation. His hand traced small strokes on Butters' bony shoulder until his sobs fell into sniffles. 

"C'mon man, let's go get lunch" 

Kyle hoisted himself off the ground, then offered a hand to Butters, who took it apprehensively. The blond boy wiped the tears from under his eyes and let Kyle lead to the cafeteria. 

The cafeteria was every bit depressing as the rooms were. The walls were a sad grey, and the decorations were unflattering pictures of Jesus on the cross. Butters couldn't look at them. They reminded him too much of the church he attended with his parents back home.

"Hey Butters, this is Stan. Him and his roommate live across the hall from us" Kyle said, gesturing to the approaching boy. If Butters wasn't questioning his sexuality before, he definitely was when he took a look at Stan. He took a seat next to Kyle, and Butters became entranced in his grey-green eyes. They were so angelic, yet mischievous. Soft, ebony hair laid over his forehead, and Butters felt almost jealous. He never liked being blond. It made him feel feminine and childish. Butters quickly pushed the thought away and turned his attention to his plate of overcooked spaghetti. 

"Speaking of my roommate, if he calls me a fag one more time, I'm telling the pastor he's coming on to me" Stan snickered through a mouthful of spaghetti. His comment unsettled Butters though. He didn't think he'd have to deal with homophobic campers, that he'd just have to tolerate the adults. 

"Do it, get that fatass thrown in confinement" Kyle scoffed. 

The rest of lunch continued in comfortable silence before the boys were sent back to the room for "Study and Pray" time. They were expected to read through certain parts of the Bible, and then pray to God for forgiveness for their sins. Butters had begun to flip through his Bible until he saw Kyle recline back on his bed and close his eyes. 

"Kyle, they want us to study" Butters whispered, afraid of getting his roommate in trouble. 

"I'm Jewish, I don't read the Bible" Kyle said shortly, not opening his eyes. 

"You're going to get in trouble" he warned. 

"What do I have to lose?" 

Butters considered this. What did he have to lose? He didn't want to be put in confinement, but it didn't sound much different than his current situation. Still, Butters had an odd fear of getting in trouble.

"I guess" he muttered, running his finger over the words of his Bible. With a swift motion, he pulled the book shut, and scooted it away from him. 

"Gosh, I hope they don't come and check on us" Butters said, mostly to himself. He let himself rise from the table and stumble over to the bed. 

"There's not much to do here, is there?" He said to Kyle, causing the other boy to open his eyes. 

"Not really. At night Stan sneaks into our dorm and the two of us just talk sometimes" 

"Woah woah woah, Stan's in here every night?" Butters asked in alarm. Kyle looked so nonchalant he was almost convinced this was entirely normal. 

"Pretty much. You're a heavy sleeper dude" Kyle said, still leaning back lazily. 

"Well, obviously!" 

It's not that he was mad, just startled.  And perhaps a little jealous he wasn't invited to hang out with the two of them. Kyle was the closest thing Butters had to a friend, so he'd have thought he would've been at least invited to their late-night hangouts. Unless... 

"Is Stan your boyfriend?" Butters blurted out, defying all manners that had been knocked into his head. 

Kyle blinked, but didn't show any kind of defensiveness. 

"Man, I don't know. I've been trying to make it very clear I like him without actually saying it. The dude's pretty dense though. Do you think he likes me?" 

"I...uh, I'm not sure"

Butters decided not to say anything to Kyle about being in a gay relationship with another camper was basically a VIP ticket to solitary confinement.  

"Eh, maybe I need to be more obvious" Kyle said quietly,  presumably to himself. 

"I bet he does. He's always looking at you during the morning sermons." 

Kyle perked up at this, and his freckled cheeks were tinged with pink. 

"Ya think?" He asked, sounding more lively than Butters had ever seen him before. He tried to imagine liking someone as much as Kyle liked Stan. He'd never been that passionate about anyone, or anything really. He led such a restrictive life that he never had the opportunity to know what he wanted. He never did sports, never hung out with friends, never got to make childish mistakes. And at age seventeen, he still didn't even know how to be attracted to someone. He never got the chance to learn. 

Without Butters even realizing it, Kyle was wistfully going on about a conversation he and Stan had had the night before.

"... told me I had nice hair, which was like super nice to hear because I've always been self-conscious of my hair. And even when Kenny was like 'Are you sure it's hair and not pubes', Stan was like 'Dude, that's not c-'"

"Who's Kenny?" Butters interrupted, shocked that a new name had been thrown around. He knew of Stan and Stan's roommate, Cartman. But Kenny hadn't been mentioned before. 

"Kenny is Craig's roomate" Kyle said, as if this was something Butters should've already known. Never had he once been introduced to either Kenny or Craig. 

"Who?" 

"You know, that little asshole that's always flipping off the pastor when he turns around?" 

"Oh, yeah. The really tall guy that's always wearing the hat" 

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Craig's boyfriend Tweek was like 'Are you even allowed to say the word pubes in this place?', and then Kenny said 'I'll say whatever the fuck I want' and then he yelled the word 'pubes' so loud that he got put in solitary confinement" Kyle said. His freckled cheeks were flushed and he ran his hand through his wild curls. The smile on his face was so beaming, that for a second you couldn't even tell he was talking about a group of boys at a conversion camp. He looked so happy just having friends to share the terrible experience with. 

"You should introduce me to all your friends" Butters said, worrying if the request was considered impolite. But he just had to know what it felt like to be surrounded by such good friends that you forget how miserable you are otherwise. 

"Yeah dude, of course. We're out in the courtyard after breakfast" Kyle replied with a smile. Butters' heart fluttered. He was going to make his first ever friends.


	2. Chapter 2: Dragged Downstairs

Kyle's friends were the kind of friends that picked on each other. So much so that Butters had a hard time distinguishing what was playful teasing and what was an actual attack. For the most part, they barely acknowledged Butters, but he was content just listening to the boys chatter like they were old friends. A few of them actually were. Craig and Tweek had known each other for several years before and had been dating for almost a year. Even at Camp New Grace, they had no problem displaying their affection for each other. Another boy Butters had never met before, Clyde, had met Kyle at a baseball camp back in middle school. 

Stan was the kindest of the group, at least to Butters. He included him in conversations, and he'd set him up for jabs at the others, which Butters would quietly refuse to take. The most common topic of conversion was discussing the misfortune of a boy named Kenny, who had been sent to solitary confinement the day before. Butters had never met Kenny, but from what he could tell, the boy loved to get in trouble just for the hell of it. 

"One time Kenny snuck out at night and carved a big smiley face on the door to the pastor's office" Craig said with a snicker.

"That was him?" Kyle laughed. 

Craig nodded with a smirk. He had his arm wrapped firmly around the shoulders of his boyfriend. 

Tweek seemed to be the only one that was afraid of Camp New Grace. He was always looking out for hall monitors or kids that might be snitches. For every bit of nervousness Butters felt, Tweek displayed twice that much. His whole body jittered constantly, and his eye twitched whenever someone spoke to him. But even with that, the boy was a part of the group, and he'd take his turns laughing at the jokes and calling Cartman a "fatass". Butters didn't think he could do that, even if he'd known these boys all his life. 

At lunchtime, it was just Kyle, Stan, and Butters again, but he didn't feel any less isolated. Kyle was entranced with every word Stan had to say, and either Stan loved it and kept talking just for Kyle's attention, or he was just downright oblivious to the redhead's infatuation. He couldn't tell. 

When the boys were sent back to their dorms, Kyle pulled out a deck of cards.

"Wanna play War?" Kyle offered, sitting down at the desk where the two roommates were supposed to be looking over the bible. 

Butters glanced at the bible in his hand and then back at Kyle. 

"Yeah, sure" 

The two played several games, Kyle beating Butters each time. However their hearts weren't in the competition. 

"So why'd your parents send you here?" Kyle asked quietly while shuffling the deck. 

Butters watched the other boy's fingers manipulate the sturdy cards as he dealt them.

"Oh, they uh..." he stuttered, not knowing how to answer. 

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine" 

Kyle sounded so sincere, Butters felt it would be wrong not to tell him. It wasn't like it was super embarrassing either, it just wasn't something he would normally talk about. But Kyle was in the same situation as he was, so he felt comfortable enough to tell him. 

"My dad caught me checking out another guy" Butters said quietly. In reality he hadn't been "checking him out", he had just been staring into space, but his dad was so cautious about Butters that he wanted any trace of homosexuality erased from his mind. 

"Ah" Kyle replied. 

"How about you?" 

Kyle smirked, his cheekbones jutting out like icebergs and his eyebrows sharpened. 

"My mom caught me sucking a guy's dick" 

Butters felt himself flush. 

"O-oh, well... I'm sorry to hear that, I think" 

Kyle laughed loudly.

"I'm just kidding, she just caught me making out with this guy I had a thing with for a while" 

"Ah" Butters replied. He wasn't sure if "had a thing" meant that they were together or they were just fooling around, but that didn't really matter. 

"What's he like?" Butters asked, mostly to keep the room from becoming silent.

"Oh he's great. His name's Davíd, him and I were buddies back home for a while, and then we started, like, experimenting I guess" Kyle said absently, shuffling the deck of cards that had long been out of play. 

"Hm. So did you break up or something?" 

Kyle scratched the back of his head as if this were a difficult question to answer. Then Butters thought that maybe Kyle and Davíd hadn't ended well, and he began to feel guilty for asking questions. 

"Not exactly. After my mom caught us making out she didn't want us to be friends anymore, so we only saw each other at school. After that he told me he didn't think he was attracted to guys, and that was that" 

Butters searched Kyle's face for signs of resentment, pain, or even embarrassment. But the other boy's face remained stiff and emotionless. 

"Wow, I'm uh... I'm sorry to hear that" 

Kyle shrugged. 

"At least I know I'm gay now, even if he isn't. Like, I'm not confused or in denial anymore. I was for a really long time" 

Butters considered this much longer than he should have. He didn't know what it felt like to be so sure of himself, especially regarding his sexuality. While other kids from his school were on and off with significant others, discovering who they like and what they like about them, Butters watched from a tight leash held by his parents, keeping him from being able to explore what exactly he was attracted to. Girls never did anything for him. He knew that. He'd always brushed it off as "I'll worry about girls in college and focus on my education now", but looking back, he'd never once been tempted by girls. 

Now boys was a different story. While he'd never put any thought into what he found attractive, he was able to instantly recognize the good looks possessed by Stan and Kyle. Perhaps he had confused his finding them attractive with jealousy of their looks. Maybe there was a form of enticement he hadn't noticed before...

His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet tapping on the door. Butters scrambled to get his bible, and place it in front of him just as Kyle said "Come in". 

It was Stan and Cartman. 

"Hey Jew Boy, we're gonna go see Kenny. You should come" Cartman sneered menacingly towards Kyle. The redhead raised his eyebrows, but showed no sign of defensiveness at the remark. 

"Don't they have someone watching him?" Kyle asked. He remained lazily in the chair, having made no effort to pretend he was studying the bible. Butters realized he was still holding his, and set it back down on the table. 

"Yeah, probably. Let's go see" Cartman said, beckoning Kyle with a nod of his head. 

"Yeah, okay. Butters, wanna come?" Kyle said, standing up and giving a stretch. 

"Oh, geez, I don't know. I haven't met Kenny before" he said. His nervousness elevated when he saw Cartman glare pointedly at him.

"Oh he's great, you'll love him. Come with us!" Stan said cheerfully, as if inviting him on a picnic. Butters bumped his fists together, a habit he picked up to stop from biting his nails. 

"Alright, I'll come" he said quietly, following a beaming Kyle towards the other boys. 

The halls were empty. All the kids were supposed to be reading over the bible still, and all the staff was presumably occupied with business that didn't have to do with a batch of sinning teenagers. This made it suspiciously easy to walk around. Cartman's tactic was "walk around like you're getting paid to do it", which to the others' shock, worked beautifully. 

The solitary confinement quarters were in the basement, and were indistinguishable from jail cells Butters had seen in movies. They were concrete, with solid doors and only the slightest barred windows upon them. It was enough that if Butters walked close enough to the doors, he could see if anyone was inside. 

Only one was occupied. Before Butters could see through the bars, Kyle, Stan, and Cartman crowded around the door. 

"Hey Ken, how's the fag chamber?" Cartman snickered. Stan and Kyle laughed at this, so Butters could assume this was good-natured teasing. 

"Are you kidding, it's nice and roomy in here." a voice said from beyond the door, "It's almost as big as your ass, Eric". 

"Ay!" 

Stan and Kyle were fighting off fits of laughter, and Cartman gave the door a sour sneer. 

"Nah, I can't wait to get out of here. I just hope I don't get in trouble for eating pages out of the bible" 

"What the fuck, Kenny, why'd you do that?" Stan said. Butters still couldn't see a face behind the bars. 

"Hey, the monitor handed me the bible and told me to 'take it in'. So I did" Kenny said, an element of smugness in his voice. His humor was frustrating, but at the same time invigorating. 

"How'd it taste, asshole?" Cartman said, again with a hint of admiration beneath the insults. 

"Kinda waxy, but good enough. Why, you want my leftovers, Fatass?" 

Kyle snickered. He turned his head, as if on watch for other people. When his eyes grazed past Butters, he seemed to just then remember he was there. 

"Oh, Kenny, you gotta meet Butters" Kyle said, grabbing Butters' wrist. 

"Butters? Is he that fat boy that's roommates with Stan?" Kenny asked. 

"Nope, that's Eric Cartman. You wouldn't like him" Stan teased.

"Ay!"

"Nah, you'll actually like Butters" Kyle said, pulling the blonde boy towards the iron door. When he peered into the cell, all he could see was a patch of orange. 

"What's up, Buttercup? I'm Kenny McCormick" 

Butters blinked rapidly. His eyes had become dry from the stale basement air. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. 

"Hey, I'm Butters Stotch" he said through the rubbing of his sleeve. 

When his eyes finally refocused, he lifted his head to meet the grey-blue eyes behind the door. Encircling them was a crown of dirty-blonde hair and a collection of freckles. It took him by surprise, and he had to take a step backwards. He didn't know how to act politely when the person he was meeting was behind iron bars, but he did know one thing after seeing Kenny: 

Butters Stotch is definitely gay.


	3. Peer Pressured

It was another day before Butters and Kenny got to properly meet, and Butters was able to take him in in his entirety. Kenny was tall, but not towering. He was sunkissed and golden and reminded Butters of the wheat fields on the edge of town back home. In the evening they were alight with the colors of the setting sun and they stood so lofty and free that they swayed with every movement the wind made. That's what Kenny was like. His golden hair was untamed, yet settled perfectly across his forehead. He had replaced the orange jacket he had worn in solitary confinement with a worn, yellow rain jacket. His jeans were ripped at the knees and frayed at the cuffs, and his sneakers were weathered and sunrot. His look was humble, yet it suited him. 

Kyle had again convinced Butters to join him and his friends in the courtyard during the morning lectures, so he was able to listen to the group's banter in it's full. 

"Dude, Tweek accidentally tore the cover off his bible last week and he flipped his shit" said Tweek's roommate, a handsome, quieter boy by the name of Token. 

Tweek glared at Token from his place in the crook of Craig's arm. 

"What if they do room checks! I'll be a goner for sure" he cried. 

"Wait, I have a question." Stan interrupted, "Why'd your parents send you both to the same conversion camp if they were trying to keep you away from each other?" 

Craig blinked. Tweek twitched. 

"Neither of them knew that the others were sending us to camp. It wasn't until the week after we left that they found out" Craig said. 

"And also they're dumbasses" Tweek finished for him.

"Y-y-you wanna t-talk about dumbasses. My pa-pa-pa-parents didn't even know they-they were sen-sen-sending me to a conversion camp.  They thought it w-w-was just a bible camp" 

Jimmy had cerebral palsy, which gave him an unfortunate stutter. Although,  if there was anyone in the group of friends that could make Butters laugh, it was him. His sharp wit varied so differently from that of his roommate, Clyde, who seemed just stupid enough that everything he said was hilarious. 

But it was Kenny who kept Butters' attention. 

The way he'd scrunch his nose and squeeze his eyes shut when he smiled. His laugh that started out as a playful cackle, but then would transform into a hiccupy sound that rolled through the air. The way he was able to draw everyone in and keep them all entertained just by being. He was what Butters, in his deepest most repressed part of him, wished he could be like. 

When lunchtime rolled around, Butters pulled himself from the ground and waited for Kyle and Stan to walk to the cafeteria with him. The two boys walked over to him, their cheeks flushed from laughing. 

"Wanna come with us?" Kyle offered, shoving his hands in his jeans pocket. 

"I always come with you" Butters replied, giving a nod towards the cafeteria door.

"No not there" Stan said emphatically. He took a step towards Butters and leaned into his ear.

"We're sneaking away" he said quietly, his breath brushing Butters' ear. 

Butters raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

"What? You can't do that, they'll figure it out! Besides, all our things are still in our rooms!"

Butters didn't think he could tote his duffle bag through the camp without being noticed, let alone ten kids hauling their luggage away. 

Stan snorted a laugh. 

"Not forever, dude. Just for like, the rest of the day" he said quietly. The other boys were still clumped together in the courtyard, evidently waiting for Kyle, Stan, and Butters to join them. 

"But they'll catch us, won't they?" Butters reasoned, trying to buy enough time to make a decision. It sounded like a one way ticket to getting his parents called, and that would really do it for him. But a part of him, the same part that wished he was as sociable and charming as Kenny, really wanted to break the rules. He wanted to break them just to get his heart pumping the way it did when he was on a roller coaster. 

"Probably. Come on, it'll be bitchin'!" Kyle pleaded, inching his way towards the rest of his friends. 

Butters gave in and let Kyle drag him over to where the others stood in a sloppy circle. 

"Is Butters coming too?" Clyde asked. He flexed his shoulders as if he were becoming impatient. 

"Yeah, he's coming. So where are we going, anyway?" Kyle said, taking an almost microscopic step towards Stan. One that wouldn't be noticable without paying close enough attention. Butters' eyes had focused on Kyle's feet just so they'd have something to focus on. He felt out of place and uncomfortable, so his mind automatically began tuning out. 

"Token tracked down this party about an hour away from here. If we leave now, we could make it and have time to come back before sunrise" Craig explained. 

Butters bit his tongue to keep himself from arguing. He didn't want to be out all night, especially with near strangers at a party hosted by complete strangers. That was so far beyond his comfort zone that he grabbed Kyle's wrist to get his attention. As the others turned away to go back to their dorm rooms to get jackets and whatever, Kyle paused.

"What's wrong Butters?" He asked, a hint of uneasiness in his voice. The redhead fiddled with the pocket of his jeans while he waited for Butters to respond. 

Butters swallowed his embarrassment and looked the other boy in the eyes. 

"Kyle, I... uhm... I don't think I want to go to this party" he sputtered lamely. 

Kyle furrowed his brows. 

"Honestly, me neither.  But I'm only going because Stan's really excited about it, and I think I'm finally getting somewhere with him," He said softly, "Please come with me, it'll be worth it, I swear on your God" 

Butters bit the inside of his cheek. He tried to imagine the look on his father's face if he were to get a call from the camp saying he sneaked off to a party with nine other boys. There would, without a doubt, be more than words thrown at him. Steven Stotch was not known for handling his anger in a healthy way. In the quiet hours of the neighborhood, a faint rattle of screams, crashes, and whimpers could be heard from the perfect little Christian household. 

Butter's felt his eyelid twitch with worry, but ignored it anyway. 

"Uhm, alright. I'll come with you. Let's go get our jackets" 

The boys made their way to the dorms. The halls had been abandoned, even by the monitors that would roam the corridors. Butters grabbed the only coat he had brought with him; a blue windbreaker. It wasn't particularly cold outside, so he didn't think he'd need it. But he wanted a reason to stall. 

"Kenny thinks we shouldn't leave all at once. He wants us to leave in pairs" Kyle said while he slipped on an orange fleece. Butters messed with his hair just to have something to do. 

He was overdue for a haircut. The sides, which he preferred to keep cropped short, were beginning to grow out and droop over his ears. He'd never been too picky with his hair, but it bothered him to no end when the soft ends of his blond hair would tickle the tops of his ears. 

"How are we getting out anyway?" Butters asked. He was pretty sure there were monitors posted at ever exit of the building. 

"Craig found a stairwell to an attic that has a door that has a busted lock on it or something. I think he found it while looking for a makeout spot for him and Tweek" 

Butters decided not to dwell on that thought for too long. He could just imagine what his father would say about it. "How sinful for two boys to mess around like that! The pervertedness is beyond unholy!", he would say. 

Tweek and Craig actually love each other though, don't they? Butters has seen Craig eyeing his boyfriend with such amusement and adoration that he couldn't imagine the relationship being exclusively perverted. And with the way Tweek's odd vibrations slowed down when his hand connected with Craig's. That wasn't something that happened when two people were just "messing around". 

"So when are we supposed to go?" Butters asked, almost forgetting what the previous conversation had been. 

"Five or so minutes after Stan taps on our door. And then on our way out, we have to tap Token and Tweek's door" 

Butters thought this seemed like overkill for sneaking out. None of the others seemed to think there would be any problems, so he didn't quite understand why they were being so systematic about it. But even so, it made him feel slightly better knowing that the group wasn't being too reckless. Sneaking out and partying aside. 

When there was a quiet, yet distinct tapping on the door, Kyle started watching a watch that he had laying on the end of his bed. With ever second that ticked by, Butters found another reason this was a bad idea. He thought of his dad, he thought of the Camp New Grace monitors, he thought of God...

"Okay, that's five minutes. Let's bounce" 

Butters trailed behind Kyle as they strolled down the hallway. They didn't want to seem like they were in a hurry. 

Without stopping, Kyle gave a tap tap tap on another door, giving Token and Tweek their five minute warning. They passed the cafeteria, the courtyard, several classrooms, the chapel, and what looked like a long forgotten baptism chamber. Kyle stopped by what must've been a custodial closet, and wiggled the door free from the frame. Inside, there wasn't a light, and the two boys were forced to climb a ladder to the attic in almost complete darkness. 

When they reached the top, the smell of dust overpowered Butters' senses. The only thing he could see was a small outline of light coming from the other side of the attic. 

Kyle coughed. 

"Damn, this is spooky as hell" he whispered. Butters could hear him begin crawling towards the outline of the door. He followed close enough that he could still smell Kyle's spray-on deodorant through the dust bunnies. 

It wasn't a long crawl to the frame of the door. Butters could hear Kyle give it a shake. Then he slammed it and the brilliance of the afternoon sun hit Butters in the face. When his eyes adjusted, he could see Kyle jumping down from the door and stumbling into the arms of Stan trying to keep him from falling too hard. If Butters were to squint, he would see a splash of color across Kyle's eager face as he purposefully staggered a little more than he should've. 

Butters wasn't huge on heights. He could get around a rollar coaster or an airplane, but jumping from the attic of a fairly old building wasn't something he considered pleasant. 

"I'll catch you, Buttercup" a voice called from below. 

Kenny, still in his yellow raincoat, was standing below Butters with his arms outstretched. 

"I, uh, I'm good. Thank you though, Kenny" he stuttered, mostly afraid of landing on the guy and hurting him. Kenny wasn't much taller than him, and he was fairly thin, and Butters didn't think he could recover too quickly from having another boy dropped on him. 

Before he could think about it too much longer, Butters swung his leg out the door of the attic. He laid on his stomach and brought the other out, then shuffled his way out until he was hanging on only above his armpits. 

"C'mon Butters!" Stan cheered from below. 

Butters clenched his teeth and let himself slide all the way out. He landed with a rattling thud on the ground, sending a shock through his ankles and knocking his on his backside. He sat for a minute, facing the building and wiggling his toes to make sure they weren't damaged. 

Kenny made his way to stand in front of Butters. He held his hand out in front of him. Butters looked at it for a moment, then timidly took it and let Kenny help him to his feet. Kenny yanked hard on the other boy's arm, and Butters ended up being launched forward harder than expected. Kenny took a step back and managed to grip Butters' shoulders before he lost his footing. 

Standing uncomfortably close, Butters let his eyes meet Kenny's. Kenny smiled a massive smile. 

"Told ya, I'd catch you"


	4. Led To Adventure

It had taken nearly thirty minutes for the rest of the boys to come out. Tweek had to be dragged down from the attic after refusing to jump. And to get Jimmy and his crutches down, the other boys had to form a human pyramid. 

By the time everyone was safely on the ground, the white light of the afternoon was beginning to shift into a handsome yellow. There was a chill in the wind that made Butters glad he had brought his jacket. 

Token led the group down a backroad. It looked like it had been long ignored and was covered in brambley weeds. Butters had ended up walking near the back with Jimmy. Listening to his constant stream of jokes had proven significantly better than third-wheeling with Kyle and Stan, who seemed to be caught up in a conversation about Stan's dog. Kyle beamed at the other boy as if every word he spoke was something to be savoured. Perhaps to Kyle, it was. 

"Yesterday Cra-Craig called the priest a fag d-d-d-during the prayer. Which is hil-hilarious because Craig i-is the gayest f-fag I know" 

In spite of himself, Butters found himself giggling. The more time went on, the more he found himself becoming entertained by the others' mischief. Especially Kenny's. Every single thing he did was completely ridiculous, and it felt rebellious just to laugh at the stories. 

"Kenny was telling me ab-ab-about this time back in h-h-h-his hometown where he and his older brother tipped all the cows over a-a-a-at the local ranch, and it t-took the rancher like fourteen hours to ge-get them all upright again" 

Butters tried to imagine how chaotic that had been. It couldn't have been anything but hilarious for anyone but the rancher. 

"Gee, Kenny must've been pretty popular back home" Butters mused. 

Jimmy let out a laugh.

"Nah, he t-told us that his hometown i-i-i-isn't very accepting of gay kids" he said, dragging his crutches across the unpaved road. 

"Kenny's gay?" 

This came as more of a surprise than it probably should have. 

"Y-yeah dude, that's why he's here. Everyone h-h-here is g-gay" 

Butters furrowed his brows at this. 

"I guess. You're not though" he pointed out. 

Jimmy chuckled.

"We-we-well, no. But everyone else is. And I know Ke-Kenny is because he tri-tried getting in Token's pants the first week here" 

He made an effort not to dwell on that too much. 

"So um, what's this party about, do you know?" 

"Token g-got in contact wi-with a group of girls up here. I th-th-thi-think he knows them from school" 

"Oh" 

While Butters was trying to come up with another topic of conversion, Token and Clyde, who were leading the pack, turned around and halted the other boys. 

"The Testaburger house is right down this private drive," Token pointed down a road that branched off from the main one, "Wendy wanted me to warn you guys about watching out for cars because I guess they don't care too much about drunk drivers here" 

A heavy lump formed itself in the pits of Butters' stomach.  It had never occurred to him that there'd be drinking at this party, but now that he was thinking about it, he wasn't completely surprised.  

"God, my dad would be sore if he found out I was doing this" Butters whispered to Jimmy, although it had been intended for himself. 

Jimmy eyed Butters with a look of what could've been either sympathy or judgement. 

"He's n-not going to" 

He followed behind the other boys turning into the private drive. 

Whoever this Wendy girl is, she had a gorgeous property. The trees the lines the road were twisty and climbable, and the bowes of willow branches dangled above the boys' heads. 

Before he could even see the house, the sound of loud music rattled in Butters' skull. Through the trees, the porchlight was a beacon that led the group to the front porch. Token gave a loud rap on the door, and almost immediately, a woman answered it, looking dazed and tipsy. 

"Oh my God, Token! I didn't think you were actually going to come!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms briefly around Token's shoulders. 

"Hey Wends! Sorry we couldn't bring any booze, I hope you'll still share" 

"Of course! Oh, and introduce me to your friends" she grinned, stepping outside onto the porch and closing the door behind her. 

"Okay, well this is Clyde" 

Clyde stepped forward to shake Wendy's hand. 

"This is Craig and Tweek. They're dating" 

The two offered waves, and stepped to the side. 

"This is Stan and Kyle. They might as well be dating" 

Butters saw Kyle turn beet red and give Token a nasty look before shaking Wendy's hand. 

"This is Kenny, and this is Cartman, and this is Butters, and this is Jimmy" he finished, gesturing to the last four boys. 

Wendy reached around to shake each of their hands. She was magnificently beautiful woman with playful eyes and long, silky, black hair. Butters knew that if he wasn't gay, this would be the kind of girl that would make his stomach dance with butterflies. 

"Come on in, I'll show you where the drinks are" Wendy said, looping her arm around Token's and leading the boys inside. Butters was last to follow, and slowly shut the door behind him. 

The house smelled like a mixture of sweet citrus and the sour smell of alcohol. The party was actually fairly tame. Most people were sitting down and talking to each other over the loud music. 

"Okay here's where all the drink are, you can help youself. I'll be in the kitchen" Wendy said, leaving with a grin. 

Butters watched the other boys go over to the table full of different varieties of drinks. He hesitated a moment before backing away, mostly out of cowardice. Feeling bad about himself, Butters sat down on an empty loveseat and waited for the others to come join him. 

"Not drinkin' huh?" 

Kyle sat himself down next to Butters with a bright red drink in his hand. 

"Mm, no, I don't think so. I've never had alcohol before" he said quietly, feeling more self-conscious than he should've. 

Kyle held his drink out towards Butters. 

"Here, try this. It's pretty sweet, you might like it" 

Butters reluctantly took hold of the clear plastic cup and held it to his lips. He only let the smallest trickle go into his mouth before giving it back to Kyle. 

"What do you think?" 

"It's alright. What is it?" He asked, peering at the florescent color of it. 

"I'm not sure, Stan mixed it up for me"

As if on queue, Stan waltzed over to the other two, and sat down on the arm of the loveseat. He had a similar looking drink in his hand. 

"How is it Kyle?" He asked, nodding towards his drink. 

"It's pretty good. Where'd you learn to mix drinks, anyway?" 

Stan chuckled humorlessly. 

"My dad loves making cocktails. I've had years of watching him" 

Stan's arm found its way to Kyle's shoulder and rested itself there lazily. Butters could see Kyle suppressing a lovestruck grin. 

Stan and Kyle began engaging in conversation about a sport Butters didn't care for, so he let Stan have his seat and went to look for Jimmy. 

"What's up, Buttercup?" 

Butters turned around to see a toothy grin on Kenny's sunkissed face. He felt a heat in his cheeks, and took a step back. 

"Oh, hey Kenny" Butters greeted, giving a small wave. 

"Isn't this better than being stuck at that ball-licking camp?" He asked, raising his cup as if making a toast. 

"Uh, yeah. I think so" 

Kenny smirked. His eyes were wide and beautiful, and Butters remembered the first time he saw them. There were no amount of words that could do that boy justice. He was ethereal, and yet so earthly and solid. 

"Want me to get you a drink? Wendy's got some nice stuff over there" he offered,  gesturing towards the table lined with liquor. 

"Oh, uh, I'm not sure" he stuttered lamely. For a minute, Butters thought Kenny was judging him. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was offset. 

"Hmmmm, I bet you'd like a melon vodka. Wanna try some?" 

He didn't know what melon vodka was, but he knew that his father would consider it unholy and definitely against the rules. So, just to spite him, he agreed. 

Kenny led the other boy to the table, and searched through bottles looking for the right one. He picked one out of the cluster, and poured a small amount in a plastic cup. It was green and bright, and looked like something that could clean drains. 

"You'll like it, Buttercup. Just take a sip" 

With Kenny's brilliant eyes watching him, Butters tipped the cup and let the vodka slip into his mouth. It did taste vaguely like watermelon. Not the real kind, more like the Jolly Rancher flavor. 

"How is it, Buttercup?" 

"I guess it's not bad" Butters answered, peering into the cup. A grin broke out on Kenny's face, and Butters was reminded again of how beautiful the boy is. 

"You're not super talkative, are you? Why's that?" 

Butters considered this. He supposed it was simply because he didn't have a lot to say. But with a jolt, Butters remembered something his father told him when he used to talk about his days or things that happened on a TV show. 

"Leopold, you are to be seen and not heard" his father would say harshly, effectively shutting up the child. 

His whole childhood, his father had forced him to suppress his excitement and his need to chatter. It had turned him into a quiet, observant teen. 

"My dad liked me quiet" was all he could say in reply. 

The sympathetic look on Kenny's face made Butters feel small.

"Damn. Is he the one who sent you to the camp?" 

"Yeah" he replied quietly. He was hoping that Kenny would take a hint and stop talking about it. 

"That's sucks the sweatiest of balls, dude. Well, you can talk your face off to me all you want, and your dad can stick his dick in his ear" 

"Oh, that's okay. I don't have anything to talk about anyway" Butters said, taking another sip of his drink. 

"Sure you do. You seem intelligent, I want to know what you think about. Entertain me, Buttercup" 

Kenny led Butters over to a table that had two chairs under it. Kenny sat, and gestured for Butters to do the same.

"Y'know, you don't have to call me Buttercup all the time" 

Kenny laughed. 

"Well I know I don't have to, but it suits you. Is Butters your real name anyway?" 

"Well no" he replied, picking at a scab on his arm. He must've gotten a scrape on the way from Camp New Grace.

"Hm, so what is?" 

Butters flushed. He debated whether he wanted anyone here to know his real name. Going by Butters was what gave him just the tiniest bit of power over his parents and the pretentious name they gave him.

"Leopold," Butters said shamefully, "But I don't really like going by that" 

"I don't blame you. How about Leo?" 

"Mm, no one really calls me that" 

Kenny had taken a final sip of whatever he was drinking, and he reached his hand into it and pulled out an ice cube. He stuck it into his mouth and chewed it with a loud crunch. 

"Well, I guess I'll be the first"


	5. Swapped

Butters had had almost an hour of talking to Kenny and sipping his melon vodka (which wasn't actually very good, but every once in a while, Kenny would look at him expectantly, so Butters would take a drink to impress the other boy). 

"So I hope it's not too much of a touchy subject, but why'd your dad send you here anyway?" Kenny asked, swirling his half melted ice cubes around in his cup. 

"He was just starting to get suspicious of me, I guess. He caught me staring at guys sometimes, and I suppose he just kind of figured it out" Butters admitted. 

Kenny hummed sympathetically. 

"That's not exactly how you want your parents to find out" 

"No, not really" 

The two boys were quiet for a moment. It had been long enough that most of the partygoers were fairly drunk, and several were already beginning to leave. It was quieting down, and Butters was getting tired. But he wanted to cease the opportunity of having Kenny all to himself. He had the Kenny that genuinely wanted to listen to him and was giving him his full attention. Butters had never had that before, from anyone. 

"So, uh, Jimmy told me you had your eye on Token" Butters said awkwardly. He was hoping to God that it wasn't considered rude. 

"Well, he's a hunk. But the man's got the biggest crush on Clyde. I mean, it might be a Kyle-and-Stan sized crush" Kenny chuckled. 

"Wow" Butters laughed in response. 

"Yeah. What about you? Find any cute guys here? Our parents didn't really think this through, this place is a 'find hot singles in your county' kinda deal" 

Butters was almost tempted to answer. It would be so extremely out of his comfort zone to admit his crush on Kenny. He knew even if he made up his mind to, he wouldn't go through with it. Why would he? Kenny was the kind of guy who could snag any guy he wanted. He could probably take Tweek from Craig if he so chose. Butters was without a doubt at the bottom of Kenny's wishlist. 

"Uhm, I don't know" he answered lamely.

Kenny chuckled again. It was such a hiccupy, raw sound that just rang out with pure joy. 

"Well if you want me to set you up with someone, let me know.  I have this friend, Cartman. He's a huge douche, but he's ripped" Kenny joked.

"I'll pass, but thank you" 

The music had gone from a loud thumping to a softer, slower song. For a moment, Butters was tempted to ask Kenny to dance. He might've if Craig and Token came rushing towards them with a jittery Tweek on their heels. 

"Ken, dude, you wouldn't believe what just happened!" Criag shouted excitedly. 

Kenny raised his eyebrow, waiting for the explanation. 

"Stan kissed Kyle!" Tweek screeched, peering at Butters and Kenny from between Craig and Token. 

"Well who didn't see that coming?" Kenny said, hoisting himself out of the chair to stand face to face with the other boys. Butters did the same thing and tried to glance around the room subtly, looking for Stan and Kyle. 

"Yeah well that's not all." Craig said emphatically, "After he kissed him, he threw up in his lap and then passed out!" 

"Wicked, is Kyle pissed?" Kenny asked. He too was craning his neck to try and find the other two boys. 

"A bit, yeah. Wendy had to lend him some of her jeans" Token snickered. Both Craig and Tweek laughed as well. It was clear all three of them were drunk, but not quite dysfunctional. 

"I bet his ass looks fantastic. Well, at least Stan finally made a move. Heaven knows Kyle wasn't going to be the first" Kenny said, elbowing Butters. He responded with a shrug that turned into a nod. 

"I think we're just going to stay the night here. Wendy's got a few spare rooms, and it's not like the dumbasses at came would notice we're gone" Token said. 

Kenny nodded in agreement, and took the final sip out of his cup, which was mostly melted ice. 

"Aight. But I'm not sleeping on the goddamn floor" 

Token, Craig, and Tweek turned away and walked into the kitchen. When they moved, Butters could see Cartman and Kyle trying to drag an unconscious Stan up the stairs. 

"Wow, I guess Stan drank a lot" Butters murmered, watching the way Cartman and Kyle had their arms around him to hold him upright. It reminded Butters of 'Weekend At Bernie's'. 

"Shit dude. Another one of these babies and that could've been me puking in Kyle's lap" Kenny said, pushing back his long bangs from his face. 

Butters chuckled awkwardly, wondering if Kenny had a crush on Kyle. 

"I'm just kidding, I don't like redheads" 

Well, that answered that. 

"Heh" Butters breathed, the slow music lulling him into sleepiness. 

"Dude, you look tired. Let's go find somewhere to sleep, Leo. You can be my roommate for tonight. My real roommate is probably off dryhumping Tweek right now"

Butters followed Kenny up the stairs. Wendy's house was a towering three stories and was full of odd closets and guestrooms. The two blonds were able to find a room to stay in where they couldn't hear Cartman and Kyle shouting obscenities at each other. 

"Y'think if Stan hadn't passed out he'd be getting his ass pounded by Kyle right now?" Kenny said. He was digging around in the small closet and pulling out quilts. 

"Oh, um.... yeah, probably" Butters said quietly. He took a stack of blankets from Kenny and spread them across the floor. 

"I mean, it could be the other way around. They both give off strong switch vibes"

Butters took one of the many pillows off the bed and put it at the head of his little makeshift bed. Kenny shut the closet door and turned around. When his eyes fell on Butters laying on the floor, he looked rather shocked. 

"Whatcha doing Leo?" He asked. 

"You said you didn't want to sleep on the floor" 

Kenny pulled the bedspread back and began unbuckling his jeans. He tossed them lazily on the floor and swung his skinny legs under the sheet. 

"I just said that to Craig and Token because they're assholes. I wouldn't make you sleep on the floor" Kenny said, patting the other side of the large bed. 

Butters could practically feel his father's disapproval. 

"Isn't that kinda weird?" 

Kenny shook his head. 

"You're rolling with the gay boys now, Buttercup. No such thing as weird" 

Butters placed the plow back on the bed and slowly got into the bed next to Kenny. He flicked off the bedside lamp, and rolled to his side with his back facing Kenny. 

The music had stopped without Butters noticing. The only thing he could hear was distant chatter and the light creaking of a bed in another room. 

"Who do you think it is? Craig and Tweek, Stan and Kyle, or Token and Clyde?" Kenny asked with a giggle. 

Butters blushed at the thought of any of his friends getting intimate with each other. 

"I really don't know" he answered quietly. 

"Mm, I bet it's Token and Clyde. They were horndoggin' it all night" Kenny muttered. 

The single window in the room was open, and there was a fresh breeze blowing through the room. It was just enough white noise to drown out the sound of the alleged sex from down the hall. Butters began drifting off. 

"We should do a roommate swap" Kenny said absently. Butters could feel the bed dip down as Kenny rolled over on his side and face him. Awkwardly, Butters flipped on his other side to meet face to face with Kenny and his messy hair. 

"Like how?" 

"Well Tweek should room with Craig, Stan should room with Kyle, and Token should room with Clyde. Then you and I could stay together, and we could stick Cartman and Jimmy together" Kenny said. His head was perched on his palm, with his elbow digging into the soft pillow beneath him.

"That would make sense. Poor Jimmy though" Butters said, which made Kenny chuckle. 

"True. But it would be kinda genius. Then I would have to deal with Tweek in my room all the time, and you wouldn't have to listen to Kyle gush about Stan anymore" Kenny pointed out. 

"That would be nice" 

"I'll ask the guys about it tomorrow. And then maybe we don't tell Jimmy he drew the short straw until everyone else is on board" 

Butters smiled.

"Yeah, okay" 

"Alright then, it's a plan. We'll call it 'Operation: Kenny and Leo don't have to third wheel anymore'"

Butters gave another tired laugh, and then settled his head into the pillow. He fell asleep face to face with Kenny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up I don't really have a set schedule for my updates. So far it's been about one chapter a week, but really I just write when I feel like it lmao. I'm working on several other projects, so I'm almost always pumping out new content. 
> 
> And thank you so much for all the kudos and kind comments! This is my first South Park fic that's really gotten any attention. The one's on my Wattpad just aren't as popular. Feel free to check them out. My @ is glowworm888 on there as well, and it's a lot of multi fandom crap. 
> 
> Thank you so much, and stay posted for updates. I'm starting to get to the good part of this story 
> 
> ~ Gabbi (glowworm)


	6. Dumb Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, it's been months since I've updated this, and I feel terrible. Also this chapter is pretty weak, but the next few will be more exciting I promise!

Instead of waking up to the sounds of Kyle's heavy breathing and the hall monitor rapping on the bedroom door, Butters' slumber was interrupted by Kenny's long fingers brushing his shoulders, gently trying to awaken him. 

"Wake up, Buttercup. We've gotta go"

Kenny was leaned across the bed, haven already been awake for some time. Butters rolled over lazily and glanced at the open window. The sunlight coming in was confident and well above the horizon. 

"Oh no, do you think they've noticed we're gone?" Butters cried, hoisting himself from the bed and scrambling to put himself together. Kenny pulled the blankets back over the bed sloppily and shrugged. 

"Maybe. Stan was supposed to wake us up before sunrise, but the dude's still blacked out" 

Butters cringed at the memory of Cartman and Kyle dragging an unconscious Stan up the stairs. Kenny chuckled quietly and beckoned for Butters to follow him out into the hall. The other boys were all out there, looking tired, angry, and hungover. Butters chewed the inside of his cheek as Token and Craig began debating strategies to get back into Camp New Grace. 

Avoiding trouble was nearly impossible at this point; it was too late in the day. Butters was frustrated that none of the other boys seemed to be bothered by those circumstances, but didn't say anything. He was to be seen and not heard, after all. 

"They don't even have enough solitary confinement cells for all ten of us anyway," Kyle whispered to Butters. He must've noticed his increased fidgeting. 

Butters took a breath. 

"I suppose so. Still, the last thing I want is trouble" 

Trouble was inevitable. Stan was barely coherent, Kenny was being unapologetically loud, and Cartman was calling just about anyone who would respond a fag. 

"Those dumbasses at camp are hardly going to notice us. And all the other boys are too much of pussys to snitch" Kyle reasoned as the group hustled back up the road they had come from the night before. 

"I didn't even think of that last one" Butters huffed, trying to think of anyone who disliked him enough to rat him out. He hadn't talked to anyone outside of the nine boys he was with now. Sometimes he'd get dirty looks when he stuttered while reading the verses out loud, but he never though much of it. He doubted any of the other boys had created enemies in the few weeks they'd been at camp. Well, maybe Cartman. Butters had to remind himself that overthinking wasn't going to do any good, now that the crime had already been done. 

It was nearly midday when the boys shuffled through the vegetation that lined the Camp New Grace property. It had been decided that getting all of them back through the window in the attic was impossible, but getting some of them in was a reasonable goal. Butters thought about volunteering himself to go in and avoid trouble, but it somehow didn't feel right. During the debate on who was going in through the window, a door that sat on the side of the building opened with a click, freezing the ten boys in place. Inside the doorframe was one of the monitors, a smug look of ambition on his face.

"Oh, they're not gonna believe this" he sung cruelly, eyes gliding over the mass of boys. In his peripherals, Butters could see Tweek shaking like a leaf. In all honesty, he felt like doing the same. 

"Are you crazy?" Cartman accused the moniter, and Butters' eyebrows shot up. 

"Excuse me?" 

"You interrupted our congregation, and aren't even going to apologize to God?" Cartman said, as if the moniter had committed an unforgivable crime. Even Butters, who spent his whole life a devoted Christian, couldn't have pulled an excuse like that. He (resentfully) gained a shred of respect for him. 

The moniter looked stunned, then his face shifted into an apologetic expression. 

"Oh, Lord forgive me! I assumed too quickly. You boys are truly inspiring for using your lunch break to strengthen your relationship with God" he praised before slipping back through the door. 

"No fucking way" Kyle said in complete shock, and Butters was thinking a similar thought. 

Cartman puffed his chest arrogantly. 

"Feel free to worship, Jew" 

"Do you think that asscheek left the door unlocked for us?" Craig asked before walking to the door, a still trembling Tweek in tow, and clicking it open. 

Butters' tension eased as the ten of them reentered the camp easier than he could've imagined. Lost in thought of their dumb luck, he was surprised when Kenny approached him and swung an arm around his shoulders. Butters sucked in a breath and hoped his cheeks didn't look as fiery as they felt. 

"Still up for the roomswap, Buttercup?"

He glanced at Kyle and Stan who were walking a few paces ahead of them, hand in hand. Butters knew he wouldn't be able to keep Stan out of his room tonight if he tried. 

"Like you wouldn't believe"


	7. Infatuation: Falling Face First

Project Room Swap had gone down exceedingly well. Butters had anticipated at least some arguement, primarily from Jimmy who got stuck with Cartman. And while he didn't seem thrilled about his new roommate, he didn't protest. Kenny believed this to be because Jimmy had been hoping for Clyde and Token to work out their increasingly obvious romantic tension; and of course what better way to do that than to throw them in the same room for fourteen hours a day. Everyone else had agreed that this roommate arrangement was much better for everyone involved (except Jimmy). Stan wouldn't have to deal with Cartman's obscene personality, Kenny wouldn't have to listen to Craig gush about Tweek every night, Token wouldn't have to pretend to ignore Tweek's odd habits, and Butters wouldn't have to worry about Stan and Kyle making out on the bunk beneath him whole he was sleeping.

"Do you think the camp organizers will notice we're in different rooms?" Butters asked his new roommate as he began hanging his clothes in the shallow closet.

"The camp leaders are dumb as shit, Buttercup. Don't even worry about it"

Kenny had neglected to hang his clothes up. Instead, they lay in a horribly inconvenient pile at the bottom of his bunk. Butters had watched the boy trip over his own mess three times since he had placed them there.

"Do you want me to hang your stuff up in the closet?" He offered, slipping a sweater on a hanger and placing it neatly with his other clothing.

"If you want. My stuff's all beat up anyway" Kenny replied absently. He was messing with a Rubik's cube thoughtlessly, reclining in his bed. Butters did the polite thing and began picking up Kenny's mess of clothes. The first thing he picked up was that orange parka he usually wore during the sermon hours. It was hideous as it was, but the thing was covered in worn spots, holes, and patches. If Butters had to guess, this jacket had seen quite a few winters.

"You're right, it is a bit worn out" He said, zipping the jacket around the hanger and putting it on the other end of the closet.

"It used to be my brother's, and I've had it for like 5 years"

Butters plucked a thin t-shirt from the pile.

"You must really like it" he chuckled.

Kenny hummed and set the Rubik's cube on his lap.

"It's comfy I guess, but I mostly keep it because my mom can't afford a new one for me" he said, and Butters saw a twinge of sadness in his eyes. It was quickly blinked back, and Kenny beamed at him.

Butters felt guilty. Despite his own problems with his parents, money had never been something he had to worry about. He always had nice, warm clothing, healthy food, and enough frivolities in his home. Not being able to afford something as essential as a winter coat was otherworldly to him.

"Oh no, I'm sorry" Butters said, hoping he wasn't making Kenny feel bad.

"It's not so bad. My mom really does try her best for me and Kevin and Karen, so I'm grateful. Dad would help too, but he lost his job when he went to prison" he said, pulling the Rubik's cube back into his hand.

Butter's didn't know what to say. He never trusted himself to say the right thing.

"Your dad's in prison?" Was the best he could come up with. He didn't dare ask what he had been arrested for

"Yeah. I honestly think it'll be good for him. Maybe it'll motivate him to turn his life around like Mom did"

"Gee, I'm sorry Ken"

"Nah, don't worry about it, Buttercup. I'd feel worse for my mom if she hadn't sent me to this butthole camp" he hissed, though he didn't sound angry. Just frustrated.

"Yeah, this place is no good" Butters agreed, remembering how angry he was at his parents for driving him out here. But part of him had a hard time not seeing all the good that's come out of Camp New Grace so far. Butters has met the only real friends he's ever had, he's (mostly) come to terms with his sexuality, and he's broken away from the tight leash his parents kept him on. Somehow, that made all the hours of listening to a preacher drone on about God's supposed contempt towards homosexuality and all the time he spent pretending to read the bible worth it. Because heck, he fit in better here with these boys than he did anywhere else. Which was a slightly disheartening revelation, but it didn't change Butters' mind.

When the boys were called to dinner, Butters sat between Kyle and Kenny. Kyle was commending the two roommates on their brilliant idea that was the room swap. Evidently, he and Stan had been getting along better than ever, and Butters could not be more glad that he wouldn't have to worry about the two "getting personal" in his room. He didn't say this aloud, but Cartman spoke his similar thoughts for the both of them.

"Thank God I won't have to listen to you fags going at it. Jimmy is a way cooler roommate, probably because he's not gay" he sneered loudly, earning himself nine disapproving scowls.

"Oh shut up Fatass, you're not fooling anyone" Stan snapped at him. Cartman looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't have a solid comeback. He clenched his jaw before sticking a spoonful of brown rice into his mouth.

"What's Cartman's deal?" Butters asked when they returned to their room after the evening sermon.

Kenny tossed his orange parka sloppily onto his bed and shrugged.

"No one really knows. Stan thinks he's always trashing gays because he's having his own sexuality crisis. Clyde thinks he feels left out from the rest of us. Craig thinks he's just a dick"

Butters figured any of those were likely enough. Cartman was a mean man, but he didn't seem _completely_ irredeemable. If nothing else, none of the boys, save Butters and sometimes Tweek when he was feeling particularly stressed, were afraid to fight back against him.

"I'd believe any of the three" he said.

Kenny told him he was going to go down the hall to take a shower, leaving Butters alone to change into his sweats and hang Kenny's parka back in the closet. It was then that Butters was reminded of Kenny's poor financial situation back home, and the sympathy came back. He eyed the fraying  of the sleeves and frowned. At the underarm, there was a patch that felt like it was made out of a trap or maybe an old tent. It was orange, but an off shade that didn't really match.

"What's up Buttercup?"

Butters turned around guiltily.

"Hey Ken"

Kenny shook out his damp hair and threw his towel and shampoo bottle on the floor. He was dressed comfortably in grey sweatpants and a maroon t-shirt advertising some sort of construction company based out of Colorado Springs.

"Are you alright?" He asked warmly, taking a step towards Butters. He flushed and tried not to notice how good Kenny looked with wet hair. It brought out his freckles and the glow in his cheeks.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. Looking at all your clothes just makes me sad" he said quietly, trying not to Kenny's sharo grey eyes, and the way they seemed even more extraordinary among the dull grey walls.

"Awe, don't be sad! I'm not sad about it, so you definitely shouldn't be"

Kenny affectionately rubbed a small circle on Butters' shoulderblade before turning around and peeling back his sloppily made bed. Butters had to give himself a moment to recover from the tingling ghost of where Kenny had touched him.

"Will you turn the light off before you lie down?" Kenny asked, shuffling himself into the sheets. Butters nodded and flipped the light switch off before climbing his way to the top bunk. Silently, he regretted not fighting harder for the bottom bunk this time,  but it wasn't a big enough deal to bother him too much. There was far more important things in his mind. Primarily,  the ecstasy from Kenny's gentle touch still bouncing inside of his body. It was a feeling that hadn't been given to him by anyone else, and certainly not to the degree where he was savoring the feeling of his hand on his shoulder. Was this what it was like to have a crush?


	8. One Hour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying so hard to keep up with this! Hopefully I don't get destroyed by my college schedule this semester

Early the next morning, the boys were woken with a sharp, furious knock on their door. Kenny mumbled something he couldn't make out then returned to unconsciousness. Butters trembled, climbing off the unsettlingly rickety bunk bed and pulled the door open. Who he only assume was one of the camp directors stood solidly in front of the door.

"C-Can I help you sir?" he asked, nervous about getting an answer he wouldn't like.

"Are you Leopold Stotch or Kyle Broflovski?" The man asked harshly, his tone rigid and unfriendly. Butters felt his throat tighten.

"I'm Leopold, sir"

"Leopold, I need you and the following boys to come to the director's office immediately: Kyle Broflovski, Stanley Marsh, Eric Cartman, Craig Tucker, Kenneth McCormick, Token Black, Tweek Tweak, Clyde Donovan, and Jimmy Valmer"

The man gave a look to Butters that clearly stated that the ten of them were in trouble. What for wasn't quite as clear. It could be anything from skipping the sermons, to switching rooms. But these people weren't going to take it lightly, whatever it is.

"Kenny?" he choked.

Kenny groaned sleepily, just loud enough to let Butters know he was listening.

"They need us at the director's office"

Kenny kicked his sheets off of him and slipped out of his bed. Butters couldn't quite read his expression; it was still fairly dark. But there was no doubt in either of their minds that whatever this was, it was no good for any of them.

"Just us?" He asked, pulling on a pair of jeans he had at the end of his bed.

"No, the other guys too"

Kenny huffed shortly, looking down at his grungy sneakers.

"Well, let's get this over with. These guys are cowards, Buttercup. They think everything can be solved with a healthy dose of God and solitary confinement. I doubt we're in that big of trouble"

Butters wasn't comforted by that, but was grateful of the attempt nonetheless. He quickly put on his jeans to follow Kenny into the hall. He was met by four of the other boys, each having different reactions to the situation.

Tweek was seconds from combusting. Butters was impressed he wasn't in full blown panic mode, but the guy seemed fairly shaken up. Craig, stoic as ever, had his arm around his shoulders, muttering comforting words.

Jimmy and Token were waiting impatiently for Tweek to pull himself together enough to drag himself to the director's office. Token seemed rather unimpressed by it all, and Jimmy looked grumpy at best. Maybe Kenny was right, and he wouldn't have to worry about anything harsher than a but of solitary confinement. It didn't seem worse than putting up with sermon after sermon, getting repeatedly told that homosexuality was wrong. Either way, he was being punished, and he supposed he could deal with that.

"Where's Stan and Kyle?" Kenny asked Token.

Token nodded his head down the hall.

"They're already down there with Cartman"

"Oh. Then where's your boytoy?" Kenny snorted.

Token rolled his eyes but didn't correct him.

"He's crying in the bathroom. He's scared of getting solitary confinement"

"Awe, gee. Is he alright?" Butters asked, peeking down the hall towards the communal bathrooms. While his head was turned, he missed the beaming, affectionate look Kenny gave him. Token and Jimmy, however, didn't. Kenny silently pleaded with the two not to say a word. They nodded in return.

"He's fine, he just needs a minute" Token assured Butters.

"C'mon babe, let's go before we get in any more trouble" Craig said, giving Tweek a gentle pat on his back. After being threatened with solitary confinement a few weeks ago, the two had to be far more careful about displaying their relationship. Butters had a feeling their stubborn attachment to each other was just as much out of spite for the camp directors as it was for their own passion. Butters respected it, but didn't think he'd have the guts to be so openly gay in this Camp, even if he had someone to be gay with.

Craig ushered Tweek down the hall to meet up with the other boys. Butters looked to Kenny.

"Should we go?" He asked, his voice coming much smaller and cowardly than he had hoped for.

Kenny's face was sober. He nodded softly, then looked towards Token.

"Coming?"

"I'm waiting for Clyde. I'll see you there"

And with that, Kenny and Butters followed Tweek and Craig down to the director's office. It was behind a sleek, wooden door that would've looked much more professional if there wasn't a smiley face carved crudely into the wood. Butters remembered hearing that Kenny had did that way back at the beginning of Camp. For an odd reason he couldn't justify, that ridiculous act of defiance gave him enough confidence overpower his fear.

Kyle, Stan, and Cartman were seated silently in metal folding chairs. In front of them was a desk that reminded Butters of the school principal's office back home. They nodded to acknowledge the others, then hovered awkwardly above them. It was another minute or two before Jimmy came in, followed by Token with an arm wrapped around a tear-stained Clyde.

That made ten of them.

It wasn't long before a man walked into the office and promptly sat down at the desk, giving a glance over at the boys. He was a tall man that was balding, but had his remaining hair combed in a way that tried to hide it, though it only made it more obvious.

He took a deep breathe before saying, "I'd like to thank you boys for disappointing God"

This caught Butters off guard. His first instinct was to feel ashamed. But was he really? He couldn't decide. He'd heard those words before, coming from his father. In fact, he heard them not long before he was told he was being sent to a conversion camp. At the time, those words had stung worse than any physical harm that could be done upon him. He was raised to be the perfect Christian boy.

But now, the words seemed meaningless, like an empty threat. "Disappointing God" wasn't something he had been worried about lately. He made a mental note to think harder on it later.

"Okay" Craig said flatly, and Butters heard several other boys snicker. Of course, he didn't dare.

The camp director fumed silently, his cheeks heating up with hideous patches of pink.

"Security footage proves that the ten of you have not only been neglecting our sermons, lectures, and studies, but also left camp for almost a whole day" he hissed, and this time no one had the guts to spit a snarky comeback.

"So obviously there needs to be some form of punishment"

"With all due respect, sir" Kenny cut in, "listening to your insufferable ass is punishment enough. I hope you'll take that into consideration"

Butters eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. What was Kenny thinking?

The man squeezed his eyes shut in obvious frustration, trying to hold back a snap reaction to Kenny's attitude.

"Even so, Mr. McCormick, it is God's will that your sins are punished accordingly. And clearly, your time in solitary confinement wasn't effective enough. Of course, we couldn't have enough rooms for all ten of you. I'm afraid we have no choice but to contact each of your parents to come get you, and Camp New Grace will reccomend some more _severe_ conversion methods"

Butters nearly combusted on the spot. There was no telling how angry his father would be once he recieved that phone call from the camp, but he would be nothing short of livid.

And a conversion method more severe than this? Butters didn't even know what that would be, but he knew he'd rather take a lifetime at Camp New Grace than finding out.

"Is there any other option?" Butters pleaded desperately, dropping any shyness he felt around the other boys.

The camp director shook his head firmly.

"It is not God's will"

Butters didn't believe that God had anything to do with it, but he closed his mouth and accepted it. His parents would be contacted, he would have to be driven home by his furious dad, and he would be more grounded that thought possible. There would undoubtedly be consequences more extreme than being grounded, but he pushed it out of his mind to avoid breaking down into a whimpering mess in front of his friends.

"You have an hour to pack your things while we call your parents. At eight fifteen, you _will_ all be in the lobby with your bags. Understood?"

The boys nodded.

They filed out of the office wordlessly. Butters kept his gaze fixed at the grey carpet in embarrassment. He had one hour left, to say goodbye to the only friends that ever truly valued him.

Cartman was an easy goodbye; he wouldn't be missed. But Kyle, Stan, Jimmy... Kenny.

He wouldn't know where to begin. How was he supposed to thank them and say goodbye in the same hour? There was no use exchanging contact information with his friends; his parents would be keeping him chained in the basement, if he was lucky. He certainly wouldn't have access to a phone or computer.

Butters let Kenny unlock the door, and silently he began pulling his clothes off their hangers and folding them sloppily into his duffle bag.

When everything was shoved in his bag, he had one item left. His mother's embroidered pillow. He pressed his lips together in an effort not to cry, and set it in the dark corner of the closet.

Kenny looked at him curiously.

"Aren't you taking that with you"

An unwanted sob shook Butters like an earthquake.

"No"


End file.
